The Ruby Awards

Amongst the arts community of South Australia, the name of Dame Ruby Litchfield is well known. Though Dame Ruby passed away a few years ago, her name lives on as one who spent a lifetime supporting, promoting and working in the arts. When earlier this year the state government announced they were funding a series of awards through ArtsSA, and that they would be known as the Ruby Awards, there can have been few people who missed the significance of the name.

"The Government was keeping one of its election promises," explains ArtsSA spokeperson Mandy Jane Giannopoulos when I questioned the Rubys' genesis.

We have other awards, and many of them in this state's arts, but most of them are fostered by their own sectors: the MRC runs short film awards, the amateur dramatic theatre community runs its own night of nights and the Adelaide Critic Circle Awards are always eagerly awaited, but the Rubys are intended to be something of a greater scope. This is reflected in the categories, which seem broadly supportive of events and endeavours rather than of individual actors or 'best of' nominations.

" I think we'll be looking at areas where we can improve it in the next years, and there might be two extra awards," says Giannopoulos."Clearly there are some very significant and important events that happen in rural areas," noting there are six categories of awards for this year.

So do the Ruby Awards nestle alongside other awards which are presented in this state, such as the 'Critic's Awards.... "I think so. It's just another opportunity to celebrate... I think they're quite complementary to other awards. It's intended that they will celebrate artistic achievement in all its forms in our state," she suggests.

The Awards will be presented at an invitees-only ceremony at the Festival Centre on Fri 8 Sept, hosted by Robyn Archer. A carefully held secret is just what the actual Rubys will look like - though the colour red is expected to feature prominently. All Giannopoulos will say is, "My brief was to come up with a beautiful object not a trophy per se, so it's in the hands of Matt Larwood at the Jam Factory."

Alex Wheaton

And the awards categories and nominees are...



Best New Work or Event

Honk If You are Jesus - State Theatre Company of South Australia

Anangu Backyard - Adelaide Festival Centre

Project 3 - Michael Yuen



Community Impact

SALA Festival - South Australian Living Artists

Il Cielo che Danca - Adelaide Festival of Arts SA

Santos Symphony Under the Stars



Sustained Contribution

JamFactory Craft And Design

Patch Theatre Company

Arts Projects Australia



Innovation

Devolution - Australian Dance Theatre

Departure - Art Gallery of South Australia

Petroglyphs - Leigh Warren & Dancers



Arts Enterprise

Special Projects Under Development - Craige AndraŽ

Maestros And Apprentices Dinner - Helpmann Academy

Fringe Benefits - Adelaide Fringe



The Premier's Award for Lifetime Achievement

Nominees not listed